James A. McPhee

Partner
Jim is the Managing Partner of Witherspoon Brajcich McPhee, PLLC. Licensed in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon, his practice has focused primarily on litigation of commercial, employment, trust and estate, corporate, and real property disputes for over 20 years. He has tried bench and jury trials in state and federal courts and argued cases before the Washington State Court of Appeals, the Washington State Supreme Court, the Idaho Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. When he's not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, running, and cycling.
Admissions
  • Idaho State Bar Association
  • Oregon State Bar Association
  • Washington State Bar Association
  • U.S. Supreme Court, member of the Bar of the Court and an officer of the Court
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Tax Court
  • Coeur d’Alene Tribal Court
Education
  • Gonzaga University (B.A., 1989)
  • Gonzaga University School of Law (J.D., 1996, cum laude)
Associations / Achievements
  • American Bar Association
  • Washington State Bar Association: Bar Leaders Conference Planning Committee Member, Former Executive Board Member of the Labor and Employment Law Section, Litigation Section Member, Labor and Employment Law Section Member
  • Spokane County Bar Association: Former President, President-Elect, Trustee, Treasurer, Secretary, Judicial Evaluation Committee Chair, Standing Advisory Committee Member of the Volunteer Lawyers’ Program, Treasurer of the Diversity Section;  Housing Justice Project Volunteer Lawyer of the Year
  • Spokane County Bar Foundation: President and Co-incorporator
  • Super Lawyers: Rising Star
  • Best Lawyers in America “Lawyer of the Year – Litigation – Labor and Employment” 2021
  • Best Lawyers in America – Commercial Litigation
  • Best Lawyers in America – Real Estate
  • Best Lawyers in America – Labor and Employment
  • Gonzaga University School of Law Labor Law Caucus: Founder
  • Lecturer on various Continuing Legal Education courses
  • Gonzaga University School of Business Dean’s Business Forum: Board Member
  • Dan Fitzgerald Memorial Basketball Tournament: President, Chair, and Co-founder of nonprofit corporation that has donated over $150,000 and thousands of pounds of canned goods to local charities in its first ten years
  • Gonzaga University Men’s Basketball: Third All-Time Leading Scorer, Four-Time All Conference Selection, GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American, District VIII CoSIDA All-Academic First Team, Two-Time National Jesuit News First Team All-America
  • Spokane/CDA Living Top Lawyer – Litigation
  • Member of National Diocesan Attorney Association
Presentations
  • First Amendment Issues in Transit Advertising – Washington State Transit Association Legal Affairs Committee CLE, Leavenworth, Washington  (September 2017).
  • Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act – Spokane Estate Planning Council, Spokane, Washington (January 2020)



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